"Ava, you're hesitant. Why? Aria's glare was sharper than her voice.
With the weight of her accusation pressing down on my chest, I held my breath. Since her return, Aria's intensity had not decreased, and although she was perfectly entitled to demand answers, I wasn't prepared to provide them. The reality was too complicated and delicate, and speaking it aloud would just throw off the delicate equilibrium I had been trying to keep.
"It's complicated," I said, scarcely raising my voice above a whisper. My hands were shaking, but I pretended to be preoccupied with the teacup on the counter as I looked away.
"Difficult?" Aria's voice was filled with incredulity. "You're my sister." My relatives. You should be the one to support me.
Family. I felt my barriers falter as the word hit a nerve. She was correct. Was she, though? It was as though she had stolen a piece of herself with her when she vanished all those years ago, leaving me to face life's challenges by myself. Her abrupt return now brought turbulence along with happiness, upending my preconceived notions about responsibility, love, and loyalty.
"Ariana, it's not that easy," I remarked, my voice clipped. "You have no idea how things have been for me and us. Rogan. I realized too late that I had said too much, so I stopped short.
She squinted. "Rogan? How about Rogan?
I forced myself to look into her eyes as I turned back to her. "Nothin'. Simply put, he's having trouble too. Nobody finds this situation easy.
Aria's face softened, but only a bit. "Is he having trouble? Or are you? Ava, you're standing up for him. Once more.
Her tone of accusing hurt more than I'd like to acknowledge. She went on, "You think I don't see what's happening?" "Rogan is clinging to someone or something." Furthermore, I no longer believe it to be myself.
The air escaped my lungs. For a while, I was unable to breathe as her words lingered in the air between us.
I cautiously started, "Aria," but she interrupted me with a sour laugh.
"Ava, don't sugarcoat things. I've seen how he regards you.
My heartbeat accelerated. "You're making things up."
"Am I?" Her presence suddenly seemed oppressive as she moved closer. "Haven't you always been the "good one? The one who stayed, who kept everything running smoothly. But don't believe for a moment that you are above guilt. It's visible in your eyes.
I recoiled as the truth in her statement struck a deeper chord than I had expected. Yes, I was guilty. I felt guilty for the emotions I couldn't describe and for the conflicting loyalty. I was caught between something darker and more perplexing that bound me to Rogan and my love for my sister.
"Ariana, what do you want from me?" My voice trembled as I asked. "Apologies? An admission? How can this be resolved?
She said plainly, staring into my eyes, "I want the truth." "Don't you believe that I deserve that much?"
The tension was broken by a knock at the door before I could respond. When Rogan's voice shouted out from the corridor, my heart fell. "Ava? Are you inside?
Aria's mouth twisted into a sardonic grin. "Talk about the devil."
I muttered, "Don't," but she had already started to head for the door. I tried to grip her wrist, but she shook me off with unexpected strength.
Rogan was standing there as the door opened, his face displaying a mixture of surprise and another emotion that I couldn't quite identify.
His eyes darted between us as he said, "What's going on?"
"Ask her," Aria stated in a cold tone. "The person who has been keeping secrets is her."
My knees became weak under the weight of Rogan's attention as his eyes fell on me. "Ava?"
I started to reply, but nothing came out. Aria sneered and brushed past him, breaking the dense, oppressive silence.
I could hear her muttering, "Coward," beneath her breath. After she left, the door banged, leaving Rogan and I alone.
With a quieter but equally urgent tone, he inquired, "What was that about?"
"Nothing," I blurted out. Too soon.
Rogan drew closer, his brows wrinkled. "Avoid doing that. Don't ignore me.
I tried to put some sort a barrier between us by crossing my arms over my chest. "Rogan, what do you want me to say? That I'm caught up in a tangle I didn't ask for? I'm caught between my sister and... The words caught in my throat and I halted.
"And what?" His voice was low and demanding as he pressed.
"And you," I said, letting the confession flow out before I could control it.
Rogan's face changed, his eyes sparking with something unreadable. "I, Ava..."
I shook my head and interrupted, "Don't." "Speak only when you truly mean it."
With the weight of unsaid realities bearing down on us, the room went silent. He was fighting a war inside of himself, and I could see it in his eyes. But a huge boom reverberated from the corridor before any of us could say another word.
With our moment disrupted, Rogan and I both looked toward the door. He walked mindlessly toward the commotion, and I trailed closely behind.
Upon arriving at the scene of the disturbance, we discovered Aria standing in the center of the hallway with a broken vase at her feet. Her face was white, and her hands were shaking.
"What happened, Aria?" With a worried tone, Rogan inquired.
Her eyes were big and filled with something I couldn't quite put my finger on as she gazed up at us. "Someone was outside the window. observing me.
Rogan's mouth clenched, and he started toward the window. I took a step toward Aria and touched her arm. "Are you certain?"
She looked uncomfortably around the room as she nodded. "I saw him," I said. He appeared and then vanished.
Rogan drew back the drapes and looked into the shadows. "No one is present at this time. However, I'll have the guards patrol the area.
To be honest, neither Aria nor I were persuaded. I couldn't get rid of the bad feeling in my chest and the idea that something much more dangerous was about to happen.
I stayed with Aria and tried to soothe her while Rogan went off to warn the guards. However, her earlier remarks continued to ring in my ears, and I couldn't shake the persistent feeling that perhaps she wasn't totally mistaken. Perhaps I was hiding things from Rogan, from her, and even from myself.
And perhaps, just possibly, those secrets were going to come to light in ways that none of us had anticipated.